Rainier Tower is a 41-story, 156.67 m skyscraper in the Metropolitan Tract of Seattle, Washington, at 1301 Fifth Avenue. It was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the World Trade Center in New York City as well as the IBM Building, which is on the corner across the street from Rainier Tower to the southeast. Its construction was completed in 1977.[6]
The skyscraper has an unusual appearance, being built atop an 11-story, 37 m concrete pedestal base that tapers towards ground level, like an inverted pyramid.[7] Architect Yamasaki chose the design in order to preserve the greenery of downtown Seattle and allow more ground space to be devoted to a retail shopping plaza.[8][9]
Beneath the tower was Rainier Square, an underground shopping mall connecting with One Union Square, which is owned by the University of Washington (UW).[10]